It all started when...
I was 3 years old, drawing on the living room floor with my father. I would always tell my father to draw different cartoon characters, and I would copy whatever he drew pretty well. This is when my parents realized I would be a creative.
From then on, I found myself doing creative activities for fun. I kept drawing, began painting, sculpting, taking photos with my parent’s polaroid camera, building model kits of cars and action figures, writing music, customizing clothing with patches, ironing on graphics I would create and so on. Kids in elementary began noticing I could draw and would ask me to draw them certain things as gifts. That was something I enjoyed doing. I began pleasing people with my art. Then my uncle Rafael Robledo Jr. who paints and customizes high end collectables, taught me how to mold and sculpt characters . I ended up making and selling a few Ghostface scream busts. I continued to grow as a creative.
Not only did I grow as a creative, but as an athlete as well. When I was in my senior year of high school, my goal was to play college baseball. I accomplished my goal and played two years of collegiate baseball for the Santa Barbara City College. After playing baseball for two years, I realized that I had strayed away from my creative goals. I was offered the opportunity to continue play baseball for other schools, but I couldn’t follow that path. I knew I had to get back to being a creative.
So…
I followed my heart and studied photography and graphic design as I transferred to Chico State. This decision put me on the path I always knew I wanted to travel. I worked for Chico’s award winning weekly newspaper, The Orion, as a designer for a semester and a photographer for two semesters. Some of my photos were submitted to the California College Media Association and ended up winning two national awards. 1st pace - best newspaper front page design and 2nd place - best newspaper inside page/spread. Students from 37 association schools submitted 1,138 entries in the contest, which covered journalism and advertising produced in 2016. Professionals from across the country volunteered as judges.
Through my experience studying Photography and Graphic Design, I gained an immense amount of knowledge on spread design, studio lighting and portrait photography.
I have also been designing my own clothing line, Redwoods to Palm Trees, since 2013.
I come from a very creative, influential, and supportive family, that has allowed me to follow my dreams and aspirations: to do something I truly love as my career. I now know what that is, it’s photography and design, it’s right here.
- Franky Renteria